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Washington County Pennsylvania Wiki
About Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. As of 2000, the population was 202,897. It was created on March 28, 1781, from part of Westmoreland County. Its county seat is Washington. Both the county and the city were named for American Revolutionary War leader George Washington, later to become the first President of the United States. It was the first county in the United States to be named in his honor. The county is home to Washington County Airport, located three miles (5 km) southwest of Washington, Pennsylvania. In 2010, Washington County, Pennsylvania celebrated its bicentennial with a concert, speeches, war re-enactments and a street fair atmosphere with tents of vendors and artists. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 861 square miles (2,230 km²).857 square miles (2,220 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) of it (0.45%) is water. Adjacent counties Beaver County (north) Allegheny County (northeast) Westmoreland County (east) Fayette County (southeast) Greene County (south) Marshall County, West Virginia (southwest) Ohio County, West Virginia (west) Brooke County, West Virginia (west) Hancock County, West Virginia (northwest) Government and Politics As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County. Democratic: 89,027 (58.37%) Republican: 49,025 (32.14%) Other Parties: 14,482 (9.49%) The County of Washington is governed by a three member publicly elected commission. The three commissioners serve in both executive and legislative capacities. By state law, the commission must have a minority party guaranteeing a political split on the commission. Each term is for four years. The three current commissioners for Washington County are J. Bracken Burns (Democrat), Lawrence Maggi (Democrat), and Diana Irey (Republican). Burns played a minor role as a doctor in the wrestling drama movie, Reversal. Maggi once ran for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district against The Republican Party incumbent Tim Murphy in 2002. Irey was the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district and lost to the popular Democratic incumbent John Murtha in the 2006 election. The Washington County Court of Common Pleas, the Twenty-Seventh Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is the state trial court, sitting in and for Washington County. It serves as the court of original jurisdiction for the region. There are six judges, which the county's citizens elect to ten year terms, under the laws of the Commonwealth. The President Judge is The Honorable Debbie O'Dell-Seneca; she is the most senior member of the bench and is responsible for the assignment of cases, the court's budget, and the administration of court personnel. The Honorable Judges of the court are: Debbie O'Dell-Seneca, P.J. Katherine B. Emery, J. Paul Pozonsky, J. John F. DiSalle, J. Janet Moschetta Bell, J. Additionally, magisterial district judges (MDJs) serve throughout the county to hear traffic citations, issue warrants, and decide minor civil matters. The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics and national politics, however Washington has trended Republican at the national level in recent years. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 53% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 44%. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 50.14% of the vote and Bush received 49.57% a difference of 552 votes. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 51% to Democrat Barack Obama's 46% and each of the three state row office winners carried Washington County. Another sign of growing strength for The Republican Party was the overwhelming victory of now District Attorney Steven Toprani in 2007. Toprani won by a nearly 2 to 1 margin over 24 year incumbent John Pettit, who was dogged by accusations of corruption. County row offices Clerk of Courts, Barbara Gibbs, Democrat County Controller, Michael Namie, Democrat County Coroner, Timothy Warco, Democrat District Attorney, Steven Toprani, Republican Prothonotary, Phyllis Ranko-Matheny, Democrat Recorder of Deeds, Deborah Bardella, Democrat Register of Wills, Mary Jo Poknis, Democrat Sheriff, Samuel Romano, Democrat Treasurer, Francis L. King, Democrat State Representatives David Levdansky, Democrat, 39th district John A. Maher, Republican, 40th district Jesse J. White, Democrat, 46th district Timothy Solobay, Democrat, 48th district Peter Daley, Democrat, 49th district H. William DeWeese, Democrat, 50th district State Senators Rich Kasunic, Democrat, 32nd district Barry Stout, Democrat, 46th district US Representatives Mark Critz, Democrat, 12th district Tim Murphy, Republican, 18th district Demographics Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 202,897 people, 81,130 households, and 56,060 families residing in the county. The population density was 237 people per square mile (91/km²). There were 87,267 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.27% White, 3.26% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.3% were of German, 17.2% Italian, 10.6% Irish, 8.6% English, 7.9% Polish and 6.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 81,130 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males. As of 1800, this county was largely settled by people of Scot-Irish religion because "prime lands" were already taken by the Germans and the Quakers. Landmarks and Events The F. Julius LeMoyne House serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society. Washington County is the home of the PONY Baseball and Softball International Headquarters and is the home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Washington County is also famous for its Rock Shelters at Meadowcroft Village, which are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in the country. The county has 21 covered bridges still standing. The Whiskey Rebellion culminated in Washington. The home of David Bradford, one of the rebellions leaders, is located in Washington and is a national landmark. Just a couple blocks away is The F. Julius LeMoyne House, which serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society. Washington County is the home of the first crematory in the United States. Category:Browse